Bee-Dee Bloggin

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Mike Huckabee, who ran for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and is a possible candidate for 2012 has said that allowing gays and lesbians to marry is as inappropriate as legalising incest, polygamy and drug use. He also condemned gays adopting saying "children are not puppies."

Mr Huckabee was speaking to journalism students at The College of New Jersey in Ewing last week in an interview that was published last night. Mr Huckabee said not all groups in society need to be accommodating if their lifestyle is outside of "the ideal."

"That would be like saying, well there's there are a lot of people who like to use drugs so let's go ahead and accommodate those who want to use drugs. There are some people who believe in incest, so we should accommodate them. There are people who believe in polygamy, should we accommodate them?" he said. "Why do you get to choose that two men are OK but one man and three women aren't OK?" he asked the students.

"I don't have to prove that marriage is a man and a woman in a relationship for life. They have to prove that two men can have an equally definable relationship called marriage, and somehow that that can mean the same thing."

Since the students published the transcript of the interview, Mr Huckabee released a statement saying: "I do not believe we should change the traditional definition of marriage." He said the students were sensationalising his comments as he feels his views are "well-known and hardly unusual views of same-sex marriage."

In 1992, he told the Associated Press: "I feel homosexuality is an aberrant, unnatural, and sinful lifestyle." He called AIDS patients as "carriers of this plague," and added they should be isolated.

While Arkansas governor he said: "Marriage has historically never meant anything other than a man and a woman. It has never meant two men, two women, a man and his pet, or a man and a whole herd of pets."

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee gave an interview this week to the College of New Jersey news magazine The Perspective, and discussed several gay rights issues. Huckabee said the implementation of gays in the military would be a "social experiment". He compared gays who want to get married to drug users and polygamists. And he warned that parenting was a serious matter, suggesting that gays and lesbians who adopt were experimenting, as if with pets.

On Don't Ask, Don't Tell:

"I wouldn’t support a repeal if I were commander-in-chief...You don’t see foot soldiers out there demanding it. I’m not sure that’s the most important thing we ought to be doing for the military. ... [‘Don’t Ask Don’t Tell’] touches an extraordinarily small group of people. [Calls to repeal it are] primarily a posturing point for political purposes [and an attempt to] force something on the military that they themselves haven’t pushed that hard. I think we certainly should be very sensitive to the fact that the purpose of the military is not to see if we can create social experiments."

On marriage equality:

"Even civil unions are not necessary. I think there’s been a real level of being disingenuous on the part of the gay and lesbian community with their goal of civil unions...You don’t go ahead and accommodate every behavioral pattern that is against the ideal. That would be like saying, well, there are a lot of people who like to use drugs, so let’s go ahead and accommodate those who want who use drugs. There are some people who believe in incest, so we should accommodate them. There are people who believe in polygamy, so we should accommodate them.'"

On gay adoption and foster care:

"I think this is not about trying to create statements for people who want to change the basic fundamental definitions of family. And always we should act in the best interest of the children, not in the seeming interest of the adults...Children are not puppies. This is not a time to see if we can experiment and find out, how does this work?"

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

A Canadian psychiatrist who was known as Doctor Shock for experiments on gay people in apartheid-era South Africa has been accused of sexually abusing a male patient.

Dr Aubrey Levin worked as chief psychiatrist in the country's military in the 1970s and 1980s. Most of his reported subjects were young white men, some of whom claimed they had been subjected to electric shocks and hormone treatment to 'cure' them of homosexuality.

Those who could not be 'cured' were instead given chemical castrations and sex changes, it has been claimed.

Levin was also accused of drugging conscientious objectors and soldiers who admitted to marijuana use.

He moved to Calgary 15 years ago and worked at the University of Calgary's medical school.

He was arrested last week after a 36-year-old patient secretly filmed him allegedly making sexual advances to him and is now on bail.

Levin has been suspended from practising and faces charges of repeatedly indecently assaulting a 36-year-old man.

Police are now reviewing 30 other claims from patients and more men have come forward since the allegations were reported.

Attention will now turn to how he was able to enter Canada and continue practising psychiatry.

South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission was told that he was guilty of "gross human rights abuses" but Levin was able to suppress media attention on his past by threatening lawsuits against newspapers which attempted to delve into the claims.

He denies the human rights abuses and has said that he only treated those who wanted to be cured.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

The California senator who was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving last week after leaving a gay club has publicly declared his homosexuality. Records show that he has voted against every gay rights measure in the state Senate since taking office, including the Harvey Milk memorial day, recognising marriages performed in other states and a measure to ban insurers discriminating against gays.He justified this by saying he voted how he expected his constituents wanted him to.

Roy Ashburn said he was gay on a local radio show yesterday. “I am gay. Those are the words that have been so difficult for me for so long", he said. Mr Ashburn, a Republican, was arrested last Wednesday morning when police saw him driving erratically. He was found to be over the alcohol limit and had another man in his car.

The divorced father of four told AM 1180 KERN Radio: “I felt my duty – and I still feel this way – is to represent my constituents, not my own point of view, not my own internal conflict.” He added "I’ve always believed that I could keep my personal life personal and my public life public. But through my own actions, I have made my personal life public."

The 55-year-old would not state whether he would continue living out of the closet, saying: “I would ask people to pray for me. My faith is very clear and very firm. “I pray to God that I can find peace, and I want to go back to work in the Senate and work hard for the people who sent me to the legislature.”

Mr Ashburn is to appear in court next month to answer charges of driving under the influence and driving with a blood alcohol level higher than .08 per cent. He said months ago he would not seek re-election. Not sure if this is in relation to the senate or to heterosexuality!

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

The Canadian Press revealed Tuesday that Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, edited references to gay rights and protection out of a newly released study guide for immigrants applying for citizenship.

Both references to the decriminalization of homosexuality in 1969, and the legalization of same-sex marriage in 2005, were deleted, over repeated objections from senior department officials. The guide's sections on equal rights and protection against discrimination were also eliminated.

"Homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969 and more recently, civil marriage rights to same-sex couples was legalized nationwide in 2005," the earliest draft of the guide says under the section Towards a Modern Canada. In the section on citizenship rights, the early draft said: "Equality Rights - Canadians are protected against discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or age." Neither sentence remains in the Kenney's revised edition.

Kenney has so far refused to answer any media questions on the study guide, though the day after the Canadian Press story was filed, Kenney discussed his concerns about seven new refugee claims coming out of the Vancouver Olympics.

Kenney is a staunch Conservative from a Calgary riding, who consistently fought gay marriage in Canada, and commented to journalists in 2005 that gays had every right to marry - as long as it wasn't to someone of the same sex.

Gay rights advocates blasted the Immigration Minister on Tuesday. Out gay lawmaker Bill Siksay demanded a re-RE-write of the study guide, and scoffed, "Jason Kenney can't edit gays and lesbians out of Canadian history."

Canada has long been known as a safe haven for the LGBT community abroad who maybe living in fear of persecution in their home country. Liberal MP Marlene Jennings, speaking on behalf of Immigration critic Maurizio Bevilacqua, noted that it was under a Liberal government that protection was granted for refugee claimants entering Canada because of persecution for their sexual orientation.

The new guide, updated from the 1995 edition, was released on November 12th, and citizenship applicants will start being tested on its contents March 15th.

Monday, March 1, 2010

I had this weird situation with one of the army of police officers down at Dundas Square last night. I was biking home and decided to take this route to catch some of the festivities. As I was stopped at the lights on Yonge heading south, people were crossing every which way and police were directing cars through breaks. I started to ride on, when I was grabbed from behind and questioned by an officer - choose one, are you a pedestrian or a vehicle? I answered neither, then the other officers allowed traffic to go through the red light and by blocking the pedestrians to allow vehicles through. The one officer questioning me said, okay you're free to go now. So was I wrong with wanting to ride across the rode with the mass of pedestrians, or should I have waited for the police to allow vehicles through? Was I considered a pedestrian, vehicle, or cyclist and who's rules do I follow in this type of situation?

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

While many westernized nations around the world are progressing, albeit slowly in some places such as the United States, many nations still persecute members of the LGBT community solely for being who they are. Recently a male couple chose to participate in a marriage ceremony in the African replublic of Malawi, a region where gay lifestyle is shunned upon, most likely as a result of ignorance. It is a very brave move for anyone to stand up and take a stance, and I think global organizations such as United Nations and Amnesty International need to get involved immmediately to prevent these two innocent individuals from going to jail.

Malawi's government recently defended the prosecution of this couple, and Information Minister Leckford Mwanza Thoto noted that Steven Monjeza and Tiwonge Chimbalanga were clearly breaking the laws of Malawi. He was quoted in the Mail and Guardian online as saying, "Despite Malawi depending on international aid, the country is a sovereign country with its own laws and must not be influenced by the West in the running of its affairs of state."

Monjeze and Chimbalanga were arrested on December 28th after holding a wedding ceremony in Blantyre. They face up to 14 years in prison if convicted. They have pleaded not guilty to the charges and have been remanded in custody after failing to secure bail.

The men's lawyers are arguing that the prosecution is unconstitutional and have asked for a review of the country's homosexuality laws. Their legal team has asked for the case to be held before the Constitutional Court, but the presiding judge in Blantyre has said he will continue with the trial until the higher court accepts the case. The trial is expected to resume next week.

Since their arrest the police and government has allowed these men to be publicly ridiculed, held in jail without sufficient reason, and have succumbed to considerable stress and inhumane living conditions that has brought on severe illness and health concerns. The time to act is now. Send word out to the world that ignorance, disrimination and inhumanity will not be tolerated.

The Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and it borders Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size is over 118,000 km² with an estimated population of more than 13,900,000. Its capital is Lilongwe, the biggest city is Blantyre. The name Malawi comes from the Maravi, an old name of the Nyanja people that inhabit the area.

Malawi was first settled during the 10th century and remained under native rule until 1891 when it was colonized by the British, who ruled the country until 1964. Upon gaining independence it became a single-party state under the presidency of Hastings Banda, who remained president until 1994, when he was ousted from power. Bingu Mutharika, elected in 2004, is the current president. Malawi has a democratic, multi-party government. Malawi has a small military force that includes an army, a navy and an air wing. Malawi's foreign policy is pro-Western and includes positive diplomatic relations with most countries and participation in several international organizations.

Malawi is among the world's least developed and most densely populated countries. The economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely rural population. The Malawian government depends heavily on outside aid to meet development needs, although this need (and the aid offered) has decreased since 2000. The Malawian government faces challenges in growing the economy, improving education, health care and the environmental protection and becoming financially independent. Malawi has several programs developed since 2005 that focus on these issues, and the country's outlook appears to be improving, with improvements in economic growth, education and healthcare seen in 2007 and 2008.

Malawi has a low life expectancy and high infant mortality. There is a high prevalence of HIV/AIDS, which is a drain on the labor force and government expenditures, and is expected to have a significant impact on gross domestic product (GDP) by 2010. There is a diverse population of native peoples, Asians and Europeans, with several languages spoken and an array of religious beliefs. Although there was tribal conflict in the past, by 2008 it had diminished considerably and the concept of a Malawian nationality had begun to form. Malawi has a culture combining native and colonial aspects, including sports, art, dance and music.

David Bahati, the MP who authored Uganda's anti-homosexuality bill, is expected to attend a prayer breakfast with US president Barack Obama.

Bahati told the Ugandan newspaper Sunday Monitor he would be attending the National Prayer Breakfast on February 4th.

The event usually attended by the president, who the newspaper described as a "gays-tolerant liberal president".

The breakfast is organised by The Fellowship – a secretive conservative Christian organisation which is also known as The Family. Its members include politicians, religious leaders and corporate executives.

Bahati may be asked to speak at the event, which will also be attended by Congress members and Cabinet secretaries. Previous speakers have included Tony Blair, Bono and Mother Theresa.

Uganda's president Yoweri Museveni signalled last week that he was stepping back from the bill, which would execute gays in some circumstances.

He said his country must consider its "foreign interests" and cited world leaders such as British prime minister Gordon Brown, who had expressed his concern about the proposed legislation.

Bahati, the MP for Ndorwa West, has refused to back down, saying his bill will "protect the traditional family".

The country's minister for ethics James Nsaba Buturo said recently he believed Museveni did not support the death penalty for gays and said the provision was likely to be removed from the bill.

Aston Kajara, minister of state for investments, has also said the bill is "unnecessary".

The bill would impose the death penalty on gays who sex with minors, disabled people or while living with HIV, along with repeat offenders. Other homosexuality offences, such as failing to report incidents to police, would result in imprisonment.

It is expected to come before parliament in late February or early March.

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The main sponsor of Uganda's "kill the gays" bill, David Bahati, is planning to attend the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington D.C. in February, Uganda's Sunday Monitor reports:

David_bahati "Mr Bahati, according to reports, may speak at the event where President Barack Obama – a gays-tolerant liberal president, is also expected to attend. On Friday, Mr Bahati said he would attend. The event is organised by The Fellowship- a conservative Christian organisation, which has deep political connections and counts several high-ranking conservative politicians in its membership. 'I intend to attend the prayer breakfast,' said Mr Bahati - himself a part organiser of the Ugandan equivalent of the national prayer breakfast. This week, citing international pressure, President Yoweri Museveni advised his party’s National Executive Committee, his cabinet and the NRM parliamentary caucus to 'go slow' on the Bill. Mr Bahati told Inside Politics he is set to meet a special cabinet session to discuss the Bill tomorrow. 'The nature of legislation is such that one cannot have a final version. There are bound to be amendments but the process will go on,' he said. The entire affair has given the Museveni administration its worst spate of bad publicity in recent times. Mr Museveni called it a foreign policy matter - elevating the Bill to the status of other concerns for the government like its engagement in the African Union and the United Nations Security Council."

"The Fellowship" is aka "The Family".

Last week, it was announced that prominent Ugandan evangelical pastor (and pal of Rick Warren) Martin Ssempa was planning a "Million Man March" to demonstrate popular support for the "kill the gays" bill.

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A media personality who has been accused of homophobia will reportedly be appointed South Africa's ambassador to Uganda next month.

Jon Qwelane, a writer for the Sunday Sun, has used his column to espouse his views on homosexuality. He has attacked gay marriage and said he would disown his children if any were to come out as gay.

He has also praised Robert Mugabe for his "unflinching and unapologetic" views on homosexuality. The Zimbabwe president described gays and lesbians as "sub-animal".

Opposition party Democratic Alliance called Qwelane an "admitted homophobe" and said his appointment could be seen as a "tacit endorsement" of Uganda's current stance on homosexuality.

Uganda's parliament is currently considering a bill which would execute or imprison gays. The bill is expected to receive strong support when it is debated this spring.

Gay groups in South Africa have also reacted angrily to Qwelane's reported appointment with SA GLAAD calling him a "disgraced" homophobe.

Christina Engela, of SA GLAAD, told PinkNews.co.uk: "This is a resounding slap in the face to the pink community in South Africa and coupled with the government's failure to condemn the Ugandan genocide bill, it gives tacit approval to Ugandan human rights violations – and raises valid concerns about the future of gay rights in this country also."

The South African press has reported that President Jacob Zuma will announce Qwelane's appointment next month. Qwelane supported Zuma when he was accused of corruption.

The Sunday Times said that the International Relations department was waiting for Uganda to approve the choice.

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More about the National Prayer Breakfast -

The National Prayer Breakfast is a yearly event held in Washington, D.C., on the first Thursday of February each year. The founder of this event was Abraham Vereide.[1] The event—which is actually a series of meetings, luncheons, and dinners—has taken place since 1953 and has been held at least since the 1980s at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue N.W.

The breakfast, held in the Hilton’s International Ballroom, is attended by some 3,500 guests, including international invitees from over 100 countries. The National Prayer Breakfast is hosted by members of the United States Congress and is organized on their behalf by The Fellowship Foundation, a conservative Christian organization more widely known as "The Family." Initially called the Presidential Prayer Breakfast, the name was changed in 1970 to the National Prayer Breakfast.

It is designed to be a forum for political, social and business leaders of the world to assemble together and build relationships which might not otherwise be possible. ("[T]he breakfast is regarded by the Family as merely a tool in a larger purpose: to recruit the powerful attendees into smaller, more frequent prayer meetings, where they can 'meet Jesus man to man.'"[2]) Since the inception of the National Prayer Breakfast, several U.S. states and cities and other countries have established their own annual prayer breakfast events.

The event has been criticized by organizations such as American Atheists and the Freedom From Religion Foundation,[3] who describe it as violating separation of church and state.

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About Me

A Toronto Freelance Journalist specializing in adventure travel, ecotourism, lifestyle, and entertainment. He has been writing for over 15 years for trade and consumer publications, both online and print. In addition he has worked with many tour operators and tourist boards to assist with marketing and promotional initiatives. Bryen can also be heard regularly on CIUT 89.5 FM in Toronto, as host of the weekly program Sex City. Bryen is an avid year round commuter cyclist, a graduate of Humber College Radio Broadcasting and Journalism, and enjoys camping, travel, reading, research, writing and DJing.